Dwayne Johnson has said he had to go against the grain in a big way after joining the DC universe.
Johnson was cast as DC character Black Adam, a villain that is set to face Zachary Levi’s Shazam in a forthcoming film.
Shazam had a standalone film, released in 201. Black Adam was originally set to be introduced in the same film – something that Johnson didn’t like.
“When the first draft of the movie came to us, it was a combination of Black Adam and Shazam: two origin stories in one movie,” the actor told Vanity Fair.
“Now that was the goal, so it wasn’t a complete surprise,” Johnson continued. “But when I read that, I just knew in my gut, we can’t make this movie like this. We would be doing Black Adam an incredible disservice.
“It would’ve been fine for Shazam having two origin stories converge in one movie, but not good for Black Adam.”
Johnson took matters into his own hand and led the charge at Warner Bros in the hopes of splitting the films into two.
However, he said it was tough as everyone liked the original screenplay.
“I said, ‘I have to share my thoughts here. It’s very unpopular’ because everybody thought, ‘Hey, this script is great, let’s go make this movie.’ I said, ‘I really think that you should make Shazam!, make that movie on its own in the tone that you want. And I think we should separate this as well.’”
Ultimately, he succeeded in his efforts, and Black Adam will be released later this year alongside Shazam! sequel, Fury of the Gods.
